Hugh williams



(No Model.)

H. WILLIAMS.

BOLT GUTTER.'

No. 547,101. Patented Oct. 1, 1895.

M. PHOTO-UTNQWASNNGYON. DYC

2 5 ferent position.

Ulvrrnn STATES HUGH WILLIAMS, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF STUART MCOALL, OF SAME PLACE.

PATENT @rrrtxn BOLT-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 547,101, dated October1,1895.

Application filed October 22, 1894. Serial No. 526,539. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBolt-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bolt-cutters, its principalobject being to pro Vide a means for readily adjusting thecutting-blades in order to compensate for the wearing of their edges inuse and in grinding, and a further object being to strengthen andotherwise improve the entire device.

The invention is fully described and explained in this specification andshown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan of abolt-cutter embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 isa plan of thecutting-blades and the ends of the levers immediately connectedtherewith, certain parts being removed to show construction and otherparts being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a sirnilar view showing theblades adjusted to a dif- Fig. at is a plan of the inner face of one ofthe transverse bars carrying the pivots on which the blades are mounted.Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the line 5 5, Fig. 1.

In the views A A are two levers provided at one end with suitablehandles a a, and connected at their opposite end by two transverse barsB B and pivots PP passing through the ends of the bars and the leverswhich lie between them. The inner faces of the connected ends of thelevers are preferably formed with interlocking teeth T T, adapted toinsure uniform movement of the two levers upon the pivots P P. In theends of the levers A A, opposite the handles a a, are pivoted the endsof two cutting-blades O 0, connected near their opposite ends by twotransverse bars D D and pivots P P', passing through the blades andthetransverse bars, as hereinafter set forth. It is evident that theseparation of the free ends of the levers A A must draw the oppositeends of the levers together and separate the cutting-edges o c of theblades 0 O, and that the opposite movement of the levers must press thecutting-edges of the blades together.

Bolt-cutters having a construction somewhat similar to the one thusdescribed have been made heretofore, but one ditiic'ulty in their usehas been that the cutting-edges of the blades soon become worn and thecutters must then be thrown aside although otherwise in good condition.To obviate this difficulty it has been proposed to provide means foradjusting the connections of the blades and the operating-levers, so asto vary the angle of separation of what may be called the handle ends ofthe blades, and thereby compensate in some degree for the wear ofthecutting-edges. It is evident, however, that such an adjustment can havebut little relative effect on the cutting-edges, for the reason that thedistance from the ends of op eratinglevers to the pivots on which theblades swing is much greater than the length of the cuttingedges. I havefound, therefore, that the proper place for the adjustment, in order togive it the greatest effectiveness, is at the pivots on which the bladesswing, these pivots being immediately contiguous to the cutting-edges,and such an adjustment is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5. As shown inthese views, the transverse bar D, lying on one side of the blades, isformed with circular recesses E E in its inner face, each of therecesses being formed with a central hole and a series of radial groovesand ridges e. In each of the recesses E is seated a circular plate F,having on its base grooves and ridges f, Fig. 5, conforming to thegrooves in the recess. Each of the plates is formed with a centralopening and also with an eccentric cylindrical boss passing through andfitting in a circular opening in the corresponding blade. The pivots orbolts P P pass through the openings in the plate D and the centralopenings in the circular plates F F and bosses F F and throughcorresponding openings in the plate D. Nuts N N, Fig. 5, engage the endsof the pivots P? P and fasten all the parts together, the opposite endsof the pivots being provided with heads pp, preferably formed withfeathers p p, entering correspending grooves in the outer face of theplate D. It is evident that the circular plates F F may be adjusted atwill in the recesses E E, thereby varying the positions of theeccentrics and the relation of the blades to each other, thus providinga means of compensating for the wear of the cutting-edges of the blades.Fig. 2 shows the eccentrics set in such a way as to give the blades thegreatest possible separation, and this adjustment is that which theblades should have when they are new and before their edges have beenworn. Fig. 3 shows the eccentrics so placed as to give the blades theclosest possible adjustment, and this is to be employed when the bladeshave been considerably worn in use.

In prior bolt-cutters, so far as my knowledge goes, it has beencustomary to connect the levers A A near their ends by a single pivotpassing through both levers instead of two pivots P P passing throughconnecting-bars. The construction shown in Fig. 2 is preferred, for thereason that it separates the ends of the levers sufiiciently to permitthe addition of stock to the levers at a a, this stock being intendedto-support the ends of the blades as the latter are thrust apart,thereby relieving to some extent the pivots passing through the ends ofthe blades. It is evident from the drawings that the blades 0 0 swingabout the eccentrics F F and not directly upon the pivots P P. Thisconstruction is advantageous not only in saving wear upon the pivots,but also in removing the tendency of the friction of the blades to turnthe pivots and thus tighten or loosen them in the nuts, as the case maybe.

Figs. 2 and 3 show a short bar G set in recesses in the inner margins ofthe blades and adapted to prevent longitudinal movement of the bladesupon each other. This bar is not absolutely essential to the operationof the cutter, but adds somewhat to its completeness.

The levers A A are provided with eoacting cushioned stops H H, eachseated in the corresponding lever and pressed outward by a spring S, asshown in Fig. 1, the outer movement of the stop being limited by meansof a pin h, fastened to the stop and provided with a head lying outsidethe lever.

Having now described and explained my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the suitably connected levers, A, A, and blades,0, O, pivoted to their ends, of the transverse bars, D, D, lying onopposite sides of the blades near their cutting edges, the eccentricsseated adjust ably in the bar, D, and passing through the blades and thepivots, P, P, passing through the eccentrics and the bars, D, D, andholding the parts together whereby the blades may be adjusted at pointscontiguous to their cutting edges.

2. The combination with the suitably connected levers, A, A, and theblades, C, (l, pivoted to the ends thereof, of the plate, D, lying onone side of the blades and formed with recesses, E, E, the plates, F, F,seated in said recesses and adjustable therein, the eccentrics, F, F,formed on the plates and passing through the blades, 0, C, the plate, D,lying on the opposite side of the blades from the plate, D, and thepivots, P, 1 passing through the plates and eccentrics and holding theparts together.

llUGII WILLIAMS. \Vitnesses:

O. P. WRIGHT, STUART B. McOALL.

